Wil-Dog Abers, Director

Wil-Dog Abers is a three-time Grammy-winning musician, bass player,
composer, and producer. An LA native who grew up in the MacArthur Park
area, Wil-Dog played one of his first live shows in the park’s bandshell
at age 11. Shaped by periods of homelessness as a young person and years
of struggle with addiction, Wil-Dog found respite in youth activist
spaces like Radiotron, and went on to help start the Peace & Justice
Center in 1995. Simultaneously, he founded the band Ozomatli, which has
released several chart-topping albums, performed in 65 countries, and
pushed musical and political boundaries for over 25 years.

Carmelo Alvarez, Director

Carmelo has been a youth and culture advocate since 1978. After dancing
and touring as Tap/Ragtime dancer and studying theater at LA Inner City
Cultural Arts Center, Carmelo was inspired to open cultural centers for
communities lacking safe creative spaces to develop and showcase
artistic talents. Throughout his career, Carmelo has opened numerous
cultural spaces and has lead various cultural/environmental/social
justice projects. Most notable centers are Youth Break Center, Inc. aka
Radiotron, the first Westcoast Hip Hop youth center, Peace and Justice
Center, and the Luna Sol Cafe one of the first Southwest/Mexican
vegan/vegetarian cafe run by poets, musicians, and activist, Eagle Rock
Art Center and Casa Del Tunel in Tijuana Mexico.

Aurora Colindres, Director

Aurora Colindres is the Director of Development for CHIRLA (Coalition
for Humane Immigrant Rights). Her 15-year fundraising career includes
Director of Development roles at Los Angeles Parks Foundation, Western
Center for Law and Poverty, and Weingart Center Association,
professional experiences grounded in social justice focusing on
equitable green space, legal and policy advocacy, and homeless services.
Aurora is a Cohort member of the National Committee for Responsive
Philanthropy and a volunteer for StepUp Los Angeles Chapter. Aurora
graduated with a BA in Marketing and a minor in International Business
from the University of Central Florida.

Deisy Gutierrez, Director

Deisy Gutierrez is an immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico. As a single mother
of 3, she grew passionate about empowering other women and has been
leading change in her community for over 7 years. In 2016, she was
nominated by parent groups she worked with and was granted the SHE HERO
AWARD by City of Los Angeles Councilmember, Curren Price of District 9.
Deisy’s devotion to being a lifelong learner has lead her to obtain
certifications such as Intuitive Anatomy Theta Healing Instructor,
Domestic Violence Counselor, and graduate from the “Taller de Vida”
Leadership Academy. She’s a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist at
Koreatown Youth and Community Center. She has also joined the fight for
immigrant rights, as a DACA recipient herself, she has recently traveled
with CHIRLA to DC where she was in the Supreme Court for the DACA
hearing on November 12.

Joey Newman, Co-Chair

Joey Newman is an Emmy-nominated, third generation film and television
composer of the famed Hollywood musical Newman dynasty. Joey has
composed the music to award-winning feature films, numerous television
series, video games and provided arrangements for recording artists like
Rufus Wainwright and Broadway composers Marcy & Zina and Cinco Paul.

David Quan, Co-Chair

David Quan is a 30 year veteran of the music industry and is an expert in all facets of Music Publishing. He is currently the Head of Licensing & Administration at The Greater Goods Co. His duties include business affairs, licensing, copyright, and royalties. He has worked for such notable companies as Leiber & Stoller, All Nations Music, Warner/Chappell, BMG, Universal Records, PeerMusic, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and NBCUniversal. Quan holds a BS Degree in Marketing from the California State University, Los Angeles and an MBA with a concentration in Corporation Finance from USC. He was a two term President of The California Copyright Conference, and is a member of the Association of Independent Music Publishers, Guild Of Music Supervisors, Songwriters of North America, and The Society of Composers and Lyricists.

Mikko D. Sperber, Director

Mikko is the Managing Partner and Founder of Fundamental Strategy, a fundraising and nonprofit management advisory firm. Mikko has decades of experience working with nonprofit organizations in the performing arts, higher education, and arts education organizations in Los Angeles and New York, and with charter schools in Los Angeles. His work experience includes working as Director of Leadership Development at the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Office of Alumni Relations, and most recently in both the social services and medical sectors as the Director of Development at MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund). 

Mikko currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, and the Claremont Courier. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of Angel City Sports, and on Westwood Charter Elementary’s School-Based Management committee.

Mikko holds a Masters in Leadership, with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy, from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy; an Executive Program certificate in General Management from the UCLA Anderson School of Management; and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University

Cesar Tinoco, Secretary

Cesar Tinoco thrives in the spaces where community, cultura, familia,
music and art, and social justice intersect. Shaped by his upbringing on
LA’s eastside, Cesar’s work centers the experiences of folks from
Chicanx/Latinx, People of Color, and Queer & Trans communities. He has
over a decade of working alongside youth in the fight for racial and
social justice and previously worked at the Los Angeles LGBT Center
empowering youth to advocate for their well-being and express themselves
creatively. Participating as a member of various coalitions including
the Levitt LA’s Community Advisory Council and having worked with local
musicians Chicano Batman, Dorian Wood, and Irene Diaz, Cesar strives to
create opportunities where students, families, and community members can
learn, connect, and build consciousness through music. With his love of
playing guitar, Cesar pursued a Bachelor of Music in Production and
Engineering at Los Angeles College of Music and currently works to
remove barriers to music education through the Young Musicians
Foundation.